Bar latch for spring casing hooks



E. TIMBS BAR LATCH FOR SPRING- CASING HOOKS Filed may 25 1926 PatentedDec. 2l, 1926.A

UNITED STATES l 1,611,393 PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD TIMES, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, -ASSIGNOR TO THE' NATIONAL.SUP- PLY COMPANY, OF TOLEDO/OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

BAR LATCH FOR SPRING CASIN G HOOKS. l

Application ilcd May 25, 1926. Serial No. 111,624.

This invention relates to a bar latch for spring casing hooks andespecially to a bar latch for that type of hooks employed in theconstruction and operation of oil and gas wells for supporting thecasing, drill pipe and the .like during the drilling operation of thewell. In the construction of oil and. gaswells, the casing or drill stemand drill employed is customarily suspended by a hook. This casing ordrill stem or drill assembly consists of a plurality of sections ofdrill stems connected together with the drill secured to the bottom ofthe assembly and during the construction and operation of oil and gaswells, it frequently becomes necessary to add or remove one or moresections of the casing or drill stem. This is accomplished by rotatingkthe casingor drill stem at one point below the point where the same isbroken by means of what is commonly termed a rotary table, while tongsor the like` are placed upon the casing or drill. stem above the jointto hold the sections to be removed stationary. Suitable means areprovided for removing the disconnected section of drill i stem from theremainder of the drill stem V'ing bails so as to after breaking theconnection between the said sections. The said sections are rotatedrelative to each other, with thel result that the connecting threadswill be damaged. Accordingly, the hook, as customarily employed forsupporting the casing or drill stem, is generally provided with aspring' which is adapted to pick up and elevate thel disconnectedsection which has been disengaged from the remaining section oi' thedrillistem.

VIt .is therefore an object of this invention to provide latch means forlatching or locking the hook proper relative to the supportreventrotation of the hook relative to the ails, and which lock or latch meansare easily disengageable when it is desired to rotate the'hook to anyparticular position during-the drilling operaprovide a barlatch whichisadapted to be inserted between the hails which support the hook and'through the spring hook shank cap and whichv cap provi-des means forreleasably latching vthe said bar in position so as to prevent rotationof the hook shank relative to the hails.

6. The sleeve 6 is at its lower end with a shoulder 15 and is at 16 ofsubstan-- vention, illustrated in the accompanying! drawings, 1illustrates a link which is adapted to be secured to the rotary hoistcable in any desiredA or preferred manner, and which link 1 hasdownwardly extending bails 2 as terminating in eyes 3. J ournaled in theeyes 3 is a swivel bearing block 4 having a bore 5 formed therethroughin which a sleeve 6 is inserted. The sleeve 6 is supported on` thebearing block 4 at an annular shoulder 7.

The hook 8, which may be of any desired l form, is provided with a shank9 which eX- tends through the sleeve 6 and is provided at its upper endwith a spring hook Shank cap 10 screw-threaded tothe end of the shank 9as illustrated at 11 and is provided with a cylindrical portion 12 'ofsubstantially the same exterior diameter asthe interior diameter of thesleeve 6 at 13. A bearing washer 14 is slidably mounted on,'the shank 9below the cylindrical portion 12 of the cap 10 so as to provide abearing between the shank 9 land the sleeve 6 as the shank 9 moveslongitudinally in the sleeve formed tially the same interior diameter asthe eX- terior diameter of the shank 9 so as toprovide a bearing for theshank 9 at the lower end of the sleeve 6. iA helical spring 17 surroundsthebshank l9 and engagesat-one end the shoulder 15 and at its oppositeend the lower face of ythe bearing washer 14 so as to normally hold thespring 17 and the hook 8 inthe position illustrated in Figure 1, exceptwhen the hook is provided with 'a large load suilicient to compressthespring 17 and when a section of the drill-stem is disconnected from-theremaining` portion of the drill stem,l the spring will operate to raisethe said section '-from the remainder of the drill stem, preventingengagement of'rllu the threads and when the section is released, it isessential that means be provided for preventing rotation of the hook 8relative to the hails 2 so as to permit the bar 18 to rotate during theexpansion of the spring 17, which might result in the throwing of thedrill stern around in the derrick so as to cause a serious accident orso as to strike some object and to cause considerable dam.- age to thesection of drill stem being removed.

. For the purpose of preventing relative ro-V tation of the hook 8 andthe link 1, I prefer to employ a bar 18 which is provided at one endwith a chain 19 which may be secured to f the cap 10 or to the bail 2 asdesired, and which chain 19 is of suilicient length so'asf to permit themanipulation of'thebar 18 and its insertioninto a bore 20 formed in thecap 10 so that the bar 18 projects between the opposite bails 2 of thelink 1,j thus preventing relative rotation of the hooiv 8 and the saidlink 1. L In order to hold the bar 20 in position and so as to permitthe same to be easily removed,

the following preferred latclr means are pro- Y vided:

The cap 10 is bored out as illustrated at 21 and a ball 22 is mounted inthe end of the bore in position toengage the cut away portion 23 of thelatchbar 18 and a compression spring 24 is mounted in the bore 21 inposition to yieldably urge the ball y22 toward the cutaway portion 23.In order to retain the spring 24 in position, a plug 25 isscrew-threaded in the outer end of the bore 21 and the tension which isexerted by the spring 24 against the ball 22 may be regulated by thescrew-threading ofthe plug 25 into the bore 21.

It will he obvious from the foregoing,

f that I have provided a` simple positive means Which may easily be`released Afor latching or locking the hook 8 upon rotation relative tothe link 1. o j

Having fully described a preferred em'! bodiment of my invention, it isto be understood that I do not Wish to be limited to the exact detailsof construction herein set forth which may obviously be varied withoutdeparting' from the spirit o f my invention as tends from the oppositeends of the said bore to be engagedbetween hoisting bails hwhilch aresecured to the body of the said 2. In a rotation lock for well casinghooks,

vthe combination of a bar, a cap-having a transverse bore formedtherethrough into which thesaid bar is adapted to be inserted, the saidcap being secured to the shank of the Saidhook, spring latch means forreleasably holding the Said bar in the said bore, and which bar extendsfrom the o posite ends of the said bore to be engage between hoistingbails secured to the body of the said hook. v

f3. In combination with a well Vcasing hook, comprising a hook having ashank," a body, spring means yieldably supporting the said hook on thesaid body, and hoisting bails secured to the said body, of a bar, a capsecured to the shank of the said hook and having a transverse boreformed therethrough into which the said bar is adapted to be inserted,and spring latch means for releasably holding the said bar in positionwithin the said bore between the said bails.

4. In a rotation hook for well casing hooks, the combination of a bar, acap having a transverse bore formed therethrough and into which the baris adapted to be in serted, the said cap being secured to the said hook,spring latch means for releasably holding the'bar inthe said borebetween the hoisting hails of the hook, and a flexible connecting memberconnecting one end of the said bar with the said hook.

Signed at Torrance, Calif., this 13 day of

